Evocation as Defense

[Michael,HandofGod]

A question came up in a game that I recently ran.  Can evocation be used as a defensive action, taking place in response to an attack?  Or can you only defend with evocation on your turn, establishing a block against an attack?

Also, if the latter is true, and an attack bypasses the block, can you attempt to dodge or make some other sort of defense roll against what passes through?

[TheMouse]

Evocation does blocks as its defense. You don't get to react reflexively to an attack with an evocation.

You may, however, stack your block over your normal defense. If your normal defense is any good at stopping attacks, you're probably better off using the evocation to create armour as a backup in case your primary defense fails.

[Papa Gruff]

A question came up in a game that I recently ran.  Can evocation be used as a defensive action, taking place in response to an attack?  Or can you only defend with evocation on your turn, establishing a block against an attack?

Technically Michael,HoG is right. Strictly by the rules you don't get to defend against an attack with an evocation. However in our game I allow evocation defense with a rote spell. This can easily explained. The wizard has cast the rote so many times, that it has become a reflex action to him that he has not to think about a lot. But the defensive evocation comes at a price, at least in our game. The wizard has to pay the usual point of mental stress. However, he is not allowed to put more energy into the reflexively cast spell with a subsequent action, meaning that he has to recast the shield in his turn and prolong it in the next if he wants to rely on his magical defense. In my opinion this is an elegant way to allow defense through evocation, as it is very costly in terms of the mental stress resource.  

Also, if the latter is true, and an attack bypasses the block, can you attempt to dodge or make some other sort of defense roll against what passes through?

As I understand it if your block is bypassed you take stress. If you decide that your shield takes the effect of armor, then you get to defend against it. In terms of rules a block through evocation is nothing different then any other block. If it is beaten, then it breaks. Allowing two forms of defense against an attack seems a huge deal. I don't think it woks this way. However I can see why this is a valid question. What if the wizard has cast his shield and prolonged it in the next turn for lets say 4 more exchanges. He has not to bother with holding up the shield during this time...

[sinker]

Ooh, I'm diggin the house rule Papa Gruff. The wizard brings up his shield at the last second, but it flickers and dies before he can bolster it.

[babel2uk]

The way I've always read that section is that you can make a dodge roll if your block fails to stop the attack. I'm fairly sure that the section on Blocks (p210) has exactly that example. The example in the section on Blocks in the Evocation section also mentions the attack beating both Harry's Block and his natural defence (which is his Dodge roll).

I can't say I'd allow the rote spell block as a reactive defence in my game, but if it works for you fair enough.

[Papa Gruff]

The way I've always read that section is that you can make a dodge roll if your block fails to stop the attack. I'm fairly sure that the section on Blocks (p210) has exactly that example. The example in the section on Blocks in the Evocation section also mentions the attack beating both Harry's Block and his natural defence (which is his Dodge roll).

Ha! Right. I had forgotten about this example. So: you get your defense/dodge roll as per usual. However if your dodge effort is lower then the block it hardly matters...

I can't say I'd allow the rote spell block as a reactive defence in my game, but if it works for you fair enough.

I'm not trying to convince anybody that the rule is superior to what is in the rules. At least to me and my players it fits the canon a lot better. Harry basically throws up his shield all the time on short notice even if he clearly hasn't the first turn during an exchange... It is basically a one turn block that costs a point of mental stress. That is huge! Huge enough to allow the defense you get to still be a trade off.